Communications prog. adds three tracks | The Trumpet

By Abby Warne, Contributing Writer

Students majoring in Communications are about to see some big changes take place in their department next year.

Starting in the fall semester of 2012 Documentary Film, Sports Broadcasting, and Public Relations will be offered as new areas of specializations, or tracks, in the Communications program. Currently only three tracks of Broadcasting, Journalism and Communications studies are offered for the major.? The three existing tracks will experience new changes in the curriculum as well.

?We are introducing three new tracks under the Bachelor of Science in Communications degree and reorganizing the existing tracks. All changes have been approved by WLU?s Curriculum Committee and will be outlined in the fall 2012 catalog,? explained Brian Fencl, the Chairman of the Department of Journalism, Communication Studies, and Visual Art.

?We are also interested in seeking accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism? and Mass Communications (ACEJMC). These changes are in line with their standards,? Fencl added.

The process the Communications Department used to develop the new tracks involved a lot of planning and teamwork.

?We started discussing the idea of change about two years ago,? Fencl said. ?This was made possible by the efforts of the entire Communications faculty with oversight from Dean (William) Baronak. Faculty members Christian Lee, Tammie Beagle, Brianne Bayer, Mike King and Ryan McCullough all made important contributions to the changes. These are our experts in the fields and it was important to me that they supported the changes.?

According to Fencil, both current and future students of West Liberty University are expected to benefit from these new changes as well as the College of Arts and Communications.

Fencl said, ?If we have done this the right way, then the changes will be beneficial to all. What the communication students now have are more choices and greater opportunity to shape their degrees in the Communications field.

?Our hope is that the changes will help grow our enrollment in the College of Arts and Communication by making the Communications degree more interesting to current students and future WLU students. The Documentary Film track and the Sports Broadcasting tracks are two niche programs that will be unique to WLU. There are not many schools our size that have the facilities to offer these concentrations.?

One significant change to the degree program is the reduction of credit hours needed for graduation from 128 to 120. Another new change is the requirement for each student to have a minor outside Communications worth at least 18 credit hours.

Students who wish to enroll in any of these programs may do so starting in the fall semester. Current Communications majors can choose whether to move into one of the new tracks or to stay where they are.

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